Esoterra System
=Overview= The system of worlds orbiting the star of Esoterra are controlled by the Adeptus Astartes of the Imperium of Man. This system was hidden away by warp storms for millenia and was sheltered throughout all ages from contact from all sentient beings in the galaxy with the exception of the peaceful Marbongi people, who have since taken to the stars and abandoned their homeworld due to a false belief that their star was dying (Imperial astronomers predict the star will live hundreds of millions of years yet.) Since then these worlds have lain dormant until the arrival of the Demiurg and their mining craft, and eventually the Tyranids and Humans. The system is ruled by the Adeptus Astartes chapter known as the Angels of Acquittance. The system follows a republican form of government but with a tyrant at its head. Most social and civil laws are dealt with on a planet to planet basis, but large representative bodies exist to conform many of the laws that are tried on one planet to the others, to send the Pyre Phalanx into battle, regulate labor and corporations, and other administrative tasks that need to be decided upon for interplanetary trade. Above the planetary governers and Solar Representatives sits the chapter master of the Angels, Balthial. If Balthial decides the Phalanx will take part of a campaign then it is so, without so much as a whisper from the representatives. Citizenship is an honor that must be earned through hours of study, training, and meeting the requirements of the individual world. On most of the populated planets and moons require a high level of education and knowledge to achieve citizenship. Even so the minority of peasants who become citizens the lives of the people are relatively good in comparison with that of other Imperial worlds with higher education highly encouraged and displays of high art for the glory of the Imperium and for the glory of the emperor. A small degree of free speech is even allowed, though it is rarely exercised to criticize due to the threat of the commisariat and Office of the Holy Inquisition. All planets are required to enable their peasants to become citizens should they pass the tests required by republican law. Population 1,306,360,000,000 *Initial crusade= 3 billion originally reproduced to 384 billion. 1.68 billion have migrated from those planets since and continue to import a million citizens per year per world. *Hiat= 40 billion originally reproduced to 640 billion. 160 million have since migrated to Esoterra. *Quantine= 1 billion originally reproduced to 32 billion. 150 million have since migrated to Esoterra. *Bli Bli= 3 billion originally reproduced to 24 billion. 130 million have since migrated to Esoterra. *Torch Crusade= 124.25 billion =Discovery= Esoterra was originally discovered by the Demiurg and used as a trading outpost while their ships mined valuable ores from the asteroids and moons caught by Ignus's gravitational field. The demiurg settled on the planets and used them as ground bases for lifting supplies and ores to their ships. A tyranid splinter attacked the system and destroyed much of the demiurg fleet and facilities before being pushed back by a ragtag group of chaos marines who claimed the system as their own. The demiurg were then subdued and served as laborers to these chaos marines. Most high ranking officials have no clue about the system and remains largely a secret. =System= Esoterra (Star) Esoterra is a main sequence yellow star. It is estimated by astronomers on Ichan to have an expected life of 4 billion years at which it is expected to nova and become a brown dwarf. As such some of the science of the system is readying itself to survive the nova and maintain livable conditions as the star cools. Kilar (mining) Kilar is one of the chief mining worlds in the Esoterra system and is the primary source for most of the products that are not produced from the black rock of Esoterra. Kilar is home to the 8th Brotherhood. Geography and Climate: Kilar is an arid and desolate world with limited farming oppurtunities but vast material wealth. Kilar suffers from occasional sandstorms and very rarely rain. The poles have liquid water while the rest of the planet is very hot. There are few plants or animals and what there is has been farmed. Large rock snakes cause tremors and problems for miners, but in the past decade some of these animals have been domesticated and will serve as an endless supply of raw material well after the planet itself is stripped. Living: From birth to death a citizen is given the life of a miner. The only chance to escape is to join the Guard. Citizenship is rewarded after serving for 15 years in the mining corps. Education: Education standards are the lowest on Kilar and generally restricted to how to use equipment, however the amount of knowledge given by superiors equates to an associates in geology. Some promising miners get taken in by the prestigious Guild and given the equivalent to a Masters degree, though this is rare. People: The people of Kilar are heavily influenced with the creeds of the Eigth Brotherhood and are obsessed with efficiency and making every moment count. Kilarians are short tempered, tenacious, and goal oriented. Hyphus Hyphus is a agri-world producing every food item available and is home to 35 billion inhabitants. This ocean world has deep seas where massive fish capable of swallowing a frigate whole and shallow seas where underwater habitats are constructed and terrestrial crops are grown inside of underwater greenhouses as well as smaller fish are harvested. Geography and Climate: The entire surface of the planet is covered with warm water. Near the equator the water is roughly 100F while near the poles its roughly 35F. The water is fresh and can be drank, though not suggested due to bacteria, straight from the sea. Storms occasionally whip up and can damage structures or craft on the surface or in the atmosphere but the structures that are well submerged are generally safe. There are many small fish in the shallow seas with the fish getting larger in the deeper parts. The most common fish are 8 foot long and carnivorous, though generally isn't aggressive and makes excellent dinner. The shallow seas are home to many 3 to 4 foot long fish and the dense seaweed colonies and reefs are home to thousands of species of fish less than 3 foot. In the deepest oceans massive monsters lurk to devour all but the most well armed and armored craft. One of these Greatfin could feed all of Hyphus for a day. Life: The life on Hyphus is calm when compares to Kilar, but rigerous in its own way. Boatsmanship is highly prized and the people are people of the sea, while those that farm in the greenhouses are of a lesser breed not one would claim to be better than their dry brethren. Education is sparse, mostly the people are trained on the job with a classroom suppliment or are trained for a new career in cases where the individual wasn't doing well enough in the field they had been assigned. Education:Hyphusians are masters at hydroponics, marine biology, cooking and resource management. It is often that a Hyphusian is heading the logistics of the Pyre Phalanx as well as in its field kitchens. People: Hyphusians tend to be very resiliant and resourceful. Ichan Ichan is a temporal forest world that is home to some 200 billion Imperial citizens. Ichan can be considered either a paradise world or a civilized world as much of the attention given to it is for its natural beauty while businesses and other ordinary practices go on the planet. The headquarters for the 3rd Brotherhood of the Angels of Acquittance is located here. Geography and Climate: A forest and swamp world with a largely temporal and tropical climate. Forests cover much of the planet with dense swamps in some areas. Methane and bog water are abundant in the deepest parts and are a resource for the people of the planet. The plant life on this planet is primarily benign having countered grazers with an incredibly high reproduction rate. The majority of the animals on the planet are large grazers with a few large predators making ranching popular for food production and hunting a popular past time. In the extreme north and south the planet reaches colder temperatures sometimes as low as -30F, but like the rest of the planet is covered in unique plants that have adapted for such a climate. Two oceans surround the pangea like continent with small volcanic islands dotting the water. These islands have become some of the highest points on the planet Beaches on Ichan are renowned for their beauty. Living: The atmosphere of the planet is perfect for human living. The axis is tilted enough for brilliant autumns and springs but not create harsh winters or summers. Most of the population lies around the planet's equator and the temporal climate. A living can be made doing any number of services to other ichanese, but the big business export and profession of Ichan is the exploration and experimentation of the planets many plants and using such to create drugs and herbs for export and use. The last month of their year (approximately 7 Terran months) the plants release the greatest concentration of pollen that makes breathing outdoors difficult and restricts all activities until the end of the season. The first month of the year a great feast is held in the newly blooming fields to celebrate another year of fertile crops and herbs to harvest. The fish also reproduce at that time and the bounty of the sea increases dramatically Education: Education on Ichan revolves primarily around chemistry, microbiology, and medicine. Often an owner of a medical degree will work for one of the companies that exports medicine and drugs to the other planets or become a variety of doctor in-system. Another highly sought degree is in animal husbandry and farming, though the planet is not officially classified as an agri-world Ichan does produce much of the food consumed by the other planets in the system. Many degrees are awarded for astronomy and students are often flown to the many island observatories to study heavenly bodies. Many of these students are eventually moved on to study flight on Ignus III. People: The Ichanese tend to be relaxed and friendly with much of their population working in serving others, giving high ranking officials tours of the beauty of the planet, or taking care of the ill. As a heavily forested world Ichan is home to training for forest and swamp combat for the Pyre Phalanx and for low-visibility and hostile environment combat during the last month of the year. Once again both enlistment or a bachelors degree qualifies one for citizenship. Esoterra (Planet) Esoterra is the deathworld homeplanet of the Angels of Acquittance chapter and the headquarters for the planetary Inquisition, Commisariat, and Pyre Phalanx. It is also the home world of the Angel's Deathwing and Ravenwing. Roughly 50 billion humans live on this planet. Geography and Climate: Esoterra is a large terrestrial world, one of the largest known to the Imperium. Upon seeing the size many an immigrant scientist has wondered how it has remained a terrestrial world. While incredibly large the planet is fairly light in mass and has roughly the same gravity of Terra at the level in which the populace live. The surface of the planet is made of solid black rock broken by lava flows. The most prominent features of the planet are large volcanoes and a sea of magma. The sea is oddly shallow, running only a few miles deep with solid rock beneath the majority of it, allowing the brave Demiurg to burrow beneath it. Esoterra is a very hot world on the surface, but once underground the planet seems to cool, allowing normal humans to be without protection between ten miles to a few hundred miles beneath the surface. The reason for this is unknown. The atmosphere is quite thin, with only a few heavier elements remaining in the gravitational field being so far from the core. As such the system does not have storms, but the social reference to stormy season refers to seasons of strong shifts in the gravity; not enough to effect the people in the planet but enough to bring a change in the pattern of lava flows. Living: Surprisingly, living on Esoterra is not at all as harsh as it sounds. The Demiurg created alloys from the black rock and other resources that they had brought along to protect their tunnels from the lava flows and the pressure deep beneath the surface. These materials line all of the walls to the caverns in which the populace lives and works. The Demiurg also perfected underground greenhouses, allowing the inhabitants to eat until the other planets in the system were colonized and turned into agriculture worlds. Atmosphere sytems keep temperatures in the caverns pleasant most of the year with the stormy season being warmer than usual. Education is specialized towards thermodynamics, chemistry, and Demiurg technology as having a citizenry knowledgable in these areas let's the planet remain habitable. Other schools in the planet revolve around pre-academies readying its students for education off-world. The modern equivalent of a bacholors degree and five years of labor is required for citizenship. Most citizens work in the forges beneath the planet using their specialized knowledge of chemistry to know the heat necessary for the various aspects and knowledge gained from a master blacksmith to make the metal items used throughout the system. The planet is the primary forge world for the system and produces most weapons, ammunition, and civilian items in the system. People: Esoterrans tend to be very practical, organized, and schedule driven. Esot Esot is a moon that is fairly large when in comparison to Luna but is dwarfed in comparison to Esoterra. Esot is entirely militarized and is home to a pair of large underground hangers each carrying upwards of 20,000 Renhal drones for system defense. Esot was also the first planetoid after Arx to receive the powerful Ion Cannons. Milandres :Much like Esot, Milandres is a heavily fortified planetoid. In comparison Milandres is three times the size of Esot, still being less than 5% the size of Esoterra. Like Esot the surface is naturally barren and pockmarked from asteroid collisions. :The primary function of Milandres is a orbiting shipyard, its docks capable of servicing any ship in the Imperial Fleet and most captured xeno craft. With raw material being transferred directly from Esoterra Milandres is responsible for 4 of the 7 Battle Barges built by the Angels and only the Emperor knows who many cruisers, destroyers, and frigates for the Esoterran Navy. Being a full third of the construction capability of the system the planet is criss-crossed with void shield generators to prevent damage to the docks and ships from asteroid impacts and enemy fleet actions. While the planet has many docks to service and build ships it also holds vast subterranian hangers full of defense ships and drones to defend itself from attack. Deeper still Milandres holds research stations for the developement and testing of new designs such as the Razorback, distrusted at first, and the failed Power Hawk mk9 power armor. Arx The technological capital of the Esoterra system and largest fortress in the system. Arx is the equivalent of Mars in the Sol system and Cadia in terms of military power. Technology Ayy idea that is believed to have merit is sent for analysis to the masses of scientists that reside on Arx. As the idea is toyed with the minor forges on Arx build The planet is ringed with massive stations armed to the teeth with ion cannons and supersized versions of the plasma cannon. Arx often bears the brunt of assaults, sooner or later, and has survived many incursions unscathed. The pdf of the planet has replaced their lasguns for ion carbines making a ground assault futile to all but the most heavily armored foes. In 985.M41 it was realized that the world was one of the Necron Tomb Worlds. The sheer volume of ion blasts destroyed the necron's ability to self-repair, cutting the necrons to pieces in what is likely the most successful campaign against them in the history of man. The necron lord was cut down by Sgt. Nathanial "Gunny" Jones. The necron rising was put down in a mere 3 months. The citizenry of Arx is heavily trained and armed, each with a concept of honor and duty to their family and to the defense of the planet. Each can field strip an ion carbine within a minute and fire it with some of the best accuracy outside the Astartes. Highly militant and highly dedicated the Arxians are some of the best soldiers found in the Pyre. Nearly all of the Ion Carbine specialists come from Arx. Ignus Ignus is a gas giant with a massive gravitational and magnetic field. The strange phenomenon makes ion and magnetic coil guns worthless once inside the orbit of Ignus II. However, the weakness inside is not as great a weakness as it would seem, as only the most powerful ships will be able to escape without being sucked into the planet. Ignus I Ignus is a small desolate rock that is slowly having its mantle ripped out and into Ignus. A small research station is here, tasked with understanding how to counter ion weaponry should they fall into enemy hands. The small settlement has also been given xeno weaponry and testing them to see how effectively they function within the field. Alternatively, they are attempted to use their knowledge of the phenomenon that ungulfs the moon to try and create shields against the xenos weapons. Thus far all attempts have yielded little in the way of results. Ignus II and Ignus IV Ignus II and IV have a similar appearance and are believed to have been a single asteroid before breaking up in the outer reaches of the Esoterra system before being caught Ignus III Ignus III is a low gravity world dedicated to the 8th Brotherhood and serves as the fortress world of the Ignus moons. Heavily armed with more conventional weaponry than Arx, though still armed with several ion cannons, it's still a terrifying site to behold for any invading fleet. The forces on the world are based around attack bikes and land speeders making any planetary landing sure to come under swift assault. The training with these and a multitude of assault marines means that the forces from Ignus III are the most active in ship to ship combat, jetting across the void on their jump packs and planting charges on turrets and other important machinery on enemy ships. Forcine The second mining world in the system is characterized by extensive time spent underground, entire cities built in the old mine shafts. Unlike Kilar where materials are brought to the surface the ore in Forcine only ventures to the surface when it is ready for export to Esoterra or Arx for use in building technology. That said, some of the ore stays in Forcine as the planet is entirely self-sufficient. Another difference with Kilar is that Forcine was not obvious in its material wealth as the surface is covered in grassland, it was only a decade after the first settlers arrived that expeditions found the great wealth that dwelt beneath the surface. Society: The vast majority of the populace works as miners or smiths with great guilds forming the elite of society. The Guilds are run by the famous Guild Masters who have so much power over the day to day events that the Planetary Governor may as well be a figurehead and nothing more. Beneath the Guild Masters are the master smiths and miners, who labor in the mines as supervisors and instructors. Next come the senior miners and smiths who labor on the more difficult projects and the scale goes down from there in terms of experience. The second tier of society are the scientists and researchers who explore the depths and make decisions on where to dig and how deep to go. Third tier are the gatherers and farmers who go up to the surface to collect herbs and fruits from the grasslands that cover the planet. Garrison: The Pyre Phalanx manages several fortresses on the surface as does the 8th Brotherhood of the Angels of Axquittance. Both defensive forces put an effort into making it appear that all of the defenders and populace live on the surface so that in an attack the majority of the population will be safe underground in the tunnels. The 8th Brotherhood utilizes the long plaines as great training ground for the Brotherhoods surplus of Bikes and Speeders. Education: Education is fairly low, but much higher than on Kilar. The education is primarily focused around mining, smithing, architecture, and herblore, though may other occupations are around. Climate and geography: The planet has a thin atmosphere that requires settlements to have their own breathing apparatuses, but unlike other distant planets the surface is covered with an alien grass that needs only the tiniest amounts of sunlight to grow. This creates problems as any terrestrial shuttle must be fully cleaned of the plant before leaving the atmosphere for fear that it would destroy the ecosystems of any planet closer to a star due to the exponential growth rate in relation to the amount of sunlight the grass recieves. There are very few storms of any kind, though a light dusting will often occurr. There are rarely any meteor showers or asteroid impacts due to being in front of Ignus in its orbit, causing the vast majority of asteroids to pass the planet without impacting it. Iznar Iznar is a small terrestrial world covered in woodlands and alpine forests. The residents of Iznar are the descendants of refugees from the knight world of Heidenheim when the planet was assaulted by an ork Waaagh! The Angels of Acquittance pushed them back, but not prior to the destruction of most of the castles that dotted the landscape. The refugees took the chance to start anew and travelled home with the Angels and settled on the world of Iznar, bringing with them their knightly traditions and feudal orders. Now many of the old orders have risen up again on Iznar and their castles dot the landscape, between forests and seas. Many of the elder Angels note that the planet is much like the Caliban of legend, but much safer. The dense core keeps much of the atmosphere in place, though it makes living uncomfortable for most beings on their first trip. Climate: The equator of the planet is a subtropical climate with the poles being arctic. Water and electricity storms always hover over the planet, drenching castles and towns in torrential downpours and massive torrents of lightning crack apart the sky. All in all, the heavy stone shelters of the people hold and when the distant sun rises again the people return to their lives. People: The people have developed to the gravity and are gradually shrinking in height and building more muscle, generation by generation. The culture is rough, each individual labors from day in to day out with little entertainment on a day to day basis. Most of the people farm for a living, taking what food they can while paying rent as a portion of their crop to the feudal lords that rule the planet. Harvest, Shucking, and Planting festivals are among the few festivals afforded to the people with great fanfare and celebration. Wars are often brief, but incredibly violent, with close combat forming the backbone of the training and armed forces. Spears, halberds, longswords, and arrows are the most common weapons outside the pdf, guard, and astartes garrison on the world. Government: Each castle is governed by its own lord or Baron with little consistency in law between them. Often lords will try to exercise dominance over their neighboring lords resulting in petty warfare. The lords come together to form a planetary counsel when Iznar is called to participate in system politics, often to squabbling causing the other planetary heads to bang their head on the table in frustration. Garrison: In addition to the planets squabbling warlords the planet is host to a poorly armed PDF. This is for fear that the pdf will leave the PDF in favor of fighting for their home castle and escalate the level of warfare on the planet. However, once indoctrinated and friendly with the Pyre Phalanx's commissars the recruits into the Guard rarely have second thoughts. The Pyre Phalanx itself maintains several armories and fortresses across the face of the planet, however they spend more time trying to solve inter-lord conflicts than defend the planet and is often the home of the weaker elements of the Pyre Phalanx, being a center for retraining. This is all offset by the 7th Brotherhood of the Angels of Acquittance whose powerful fortress monastary dominates an entire valley and with vehicles massive enough to crush some of the castles almost single handedly. It is noted that the castles immediately around the monestary are the most peaceful on the planet, for fear that the Angels of Death would descend upon them. Education: None to speak of, there is no citizenry on the planet. Anyone who manages to get an idea of becoming a citizen must flee to the Pyre and be sent offworld for training. This has caused conflicts between the Pyre and the local lords but none have been audacious enough to send their armies of steel and iron against the legions of laser armed guardsmen. Overall the planet is more occupied by the system government than actually apart of the system, kept in line primarily by the training exercises of the defensive minded Astartes and guardsmen. Gnarok Gnarok serves as the lookout spot for the system. The farthest major world in the system the planet has little to no atmosphere and is long dead geologically. The system houses many fleet docks and many hangers for thousands of Renhal drones and bays for Strike Cruisers and other ships of the Navy. Many ion hyperlasers are stationed here as well. This is a fortress world but is less of a challenge for an enemy fleet than Arx. Category:Planetary Systems